Edgar Cabadas
← Selected workProject 07 / 10
Academic / 2018

The Scene Museum

I proposed a wax museum within a four-way Los Angeles freeway interchange. Drivers passing through its different levels would glimpse scenes from the city’s history and the people who shaped it.

From the freeway, the streetcar tableau appears in the glazed end of a gallery above the arch.
FIG. 01From the freeway, the streetcar tableau appears in the glazed end of a gallery above the arch.Streetcar gallery
Project brief

Los Angeles history from the freeway

A driver sees each display for only a few seconds. A visitor inside can pause at the same scene, return to the ring stair and enter another gallery. The arch lifts the projecting gallery ends into view from the freeway, while an exterior plaza brings visitors on foot into the lobby.

Setting
Los Angeles · academic proposal
Studio
Design studio
My role
Studio concept, spatial design, plans, arch section, modeling and visualization.
Project drawings

Drawings and studies

The gallery wings meet the interchange at different levels. Illuminated display bands face the approaching lanes.
FIG. 02The gallery wings meet the interchange at different levels. Illuminated display bands face the approaching lanes.Freeway approaches

Approach and gallery floors

The gallery arms occupy the gaps between crossing freeway decks. Their different heights bring a different scene into view on each approach.
FIG. 03The gallery arms occupy the gaps between crossing freeway decks. Their different heights bring a different scene into view on each approach.Interchange model
Visitors cross the exterior plaza to the entrance lobby. The amphitheatre and administration are reached from this level, with the central stair leading to the galleries.
FIG. 04Visitors cross the exterior plaza to the entrance lobby. The amphitheatre and administration are reached from this level, with the central stair leading to the galleries.Ground floor
Read drawing key
  1. Exterior plazaApproach from the interchange edge
  2. Entrance lobbyArrival and orientation
  3. AmphitheatreStepped public seating
  4. AdministrationStaff rooms and service
  5. Central stairPublic route upstairs
The ring stair serves three gallery wings. Along the roadside edge, display cases lead to a recessed window shared by visitors and passing drivers.
FIG. 05The ring stair serves three gallery wings. Along the roadside edge, display cases lead to a recessed window shared by visitors and passing drivers.Gallery level · +90 ft
Read drawing key
  1. Ring stairArrival at the gallery level
  2. GalleryShort wing for close viewing
  3. Primary galleryNorth exhibition sequence
  4. Primary galleryLong room facing the road
  5. Scene windowProposed roadside display

Arch and enclosure

The central stair connects the stacked galleries between the levels of the freeway.
FIG. 06The central stair connects the stacked galleries between the levels of the freeway.Transverse section
The arch supports the gallery above the roadway. The adjacent framing study shows how the raking web meets the gallery floor and roof trusses.
FIG. 07The arch supports the gallery above the roadway. The adjacent framing study shows how the raking web meets the gallery floor and roof trusses.Arch section and framing · Arch section by Edgar Cabadas. Framing study author uncredited.
Read drawing key
  1. Roof profileFolded upper silhouette
  2. Gallery floorOccupied span at the cut
  3. Arch openingClear underside of the form
  4. Raking webBraced bay beneath the floor
  5. Roof trussFraming over the gallery

Physical model

Light passes between the ribs of the curved gallery. Its projecting end frames the display above the roadway.
FIG. 08Light passes between the ribs of the curved gallery. Its projecting end frames the display above the roadway.Physical model in daylight
Cut-outs in the floor plates expose the open framing beneath the gallery before the model was painted.
FIG. 09Cut-outs in the floor plates expose the open framing beneath the gallery before the model was painted.Card model

Project credits

Studio project and arch section by Edgar Cabadas, Woodbury University. The framing fragment and physical model photographs carry no individual credit.

Drawing excerpts are resized for screen viewing. Refer to written dimensions.